My sweet baby O is getting good about putting himself to sleep and staying asleep all night. Curious George for the win. He woke happy about his week ahead but there was also a concern about what he was going to do each day. I got dressed and then helped him. I wanted him to put his shoes and socks on by himself but he was in no hurry. He wanted me to help him but I want him to do it on his own. The skill is there but he still has trouble with the follow-through and sometimes the execution of each step. He doesn’t always put the right shoe on the right foot or he may have problems with the tongue and other parts but he can do it. I went to the bathroom before we went to wait for the bus and I splashed one dot of water on my pants when I washed my hands. This upset him. He wanted me to go change and then when I said no he wanted me to get a towel. I told him it would dry quickly but he was focused on it. The size of the wet spot was approximately as big as a dime. This is the emotional rollercoaster ride that sets us in motion. We needed to get outside but I needed him to be calm and not have a meltdown. I breathed and I told him that he needed to breathe and he needed to make a choice if he was going to let this upset him or if he was going to push past it so he could go to school. I told him that I understand this is upsetting but it is water. I want him to see and connect with what is upsetting him. I want him to look at the spot and find a way to see past it. He has to learn to redirect his energy and emotions so that he doesn’t have a meltdown over this. I constantly remind him that his emotions are valid but he has to make a choice if they are going to keep him from doing something he wants to do. I explained to him that if we didn’t finish getting ready he would miss the bus and not go to school. He loves school, he absolutely loves school so I stood there with him counting to ten and breathing. I then gathered up a little part of my jeans and folded it over the wet dot. I showed him how I folded it over and he could no longer see the spot. I emphasized this so that he understood he has control over moving forward. We were able to get outside and not once did he look at my jeans after that. Blue pants, water spots, bananas, and the list goes on are all things that we will most likely see every day in some form or another. He has to learn that he can get through all of these moments. It’s a long process to change the mind to focus on something else. This is where I want to cry. When your child is so passionate about a connection or emotional response to something it’s hard to know how to push forward. I research and research and research what could be causing this and what else we can try to help him through it. So now my hope lies in Curious George. He is the reason Owen is wanting to go to sleep on his own so maybe if I can get him to realize how much he likes and respects the man in the yellow hat it will help him to realize that people not in blue pants are wonderful as well. To go with our Curious George theme we were practicing how to walk like a monkey. He made the sounds but he didn’t walk with me. I showed him by moving his arms with mine and that helped with his movements. The bus turned the corner and his smile said it all. When he came home he was upset because the substitute bus driver went in the opposite direction on our road. He was beside himself crying. The bus driver felt bad. I told him I understood and I told Owen I know this was hard since his expectations were for him to go a different way but he was doing the best he could because this wasn’t his regular route. Again trying to make those connections for him even though he was extremely upset. I stood there breathing with him and gave him several hugs. We came inside and he started talking about going to dinner tomorrow night with our family and he was happier. He repeated the word “pomegranate” all night long and I’m not sure why. Once again he wanted to go to sleep without me in there. He gave me a big hug and told me to go to my room. It kind of cracks me up that he’s telling me to go to my room. Even with all the emotions today felt like a victory. We talked a lot about yellow pants. We also talked about kindness and grace. I pray for calm to continue to wash over him as he faces every new day. I’m thankful for his growth and we keep moving forward. We all got something and kindness matters. You are amazing and can accomplish anything if you set your mind to it. Smiles to all and donut daze!
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